Cardinal Tagle: Friendship reveals the face of Jesus and the Church

By Fr. Kasmir Nema, SVD and Leahna ‘Yana’ Villajos - Manila

Authentic friendship is not simply a human relationship but a privileged path for evangelization, one that makes the face of Jesus and the Church visible in people's lives, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle said during the 12th Philippine Conference on the - New Evangelization (PCNE XII).

Speaking at the "Heart-to-Heart: Friendship and Accompaniment with Cardinal Chito Tagle" dialogue on July 24 at the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in Manila, the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization encouraged Catholics to cultivate friendships marked by truth, charity, and faithful accompaniment.

The conversation brought together religious and lay Catholic leaders, including Sister Mary Joanine Bolisay, SPC, Fr. Dean Jerome Cruz, Bro. Artemio Manuben, OFS, Anne and Billie Dumaliang, and Joy Cancio, who shared personal experiences of friendship and accompaniment in their respective vocations.

Throughout the dialogue, Cardinal Tagle emphasized that genuine friendship requires openness, patience, and the courage to speak the truth with love.

"Do not be afraid to build friendships," he said. "The seeds of friendship that you sow now will become the harvest of vocation in the future."

He noted that authentic friends are not merely sources of comfort but also companions willing to offer honest guidance.

"Sometimes, a true friend has the courage to tell you the things you do not want to hear," he said.

Cardinal Tagle stressed that friendship also has a missionary dimension.

"We should not discount the role of friendship in making the face of Jesus, the face of the Church, real to people," he said.

He also linked friendship with Christian stewardship, describing care for creation and for one another as a concrete response to God's love.

"Caring for creation and for each other as a response to the Creator—that is an act of friendship," he said.

Concluding the dialogue, the cardinal reminded participants that every authentic Christian friendship begins with Christ.

"What brought us together here is our common friendship with the Lord, who was the first to consider us His friends," he said.

Friendship accompanies, never forces

The dialogue followed the conference's opening Mass, during which Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula reflected on this year's theme, "Sangkay"—a Filipino word meaning friendship—and invited Catholics to embrace a style of evangelization rooted in patient accompaniment.

Drawing inspiration from the Blessed Virgin Mary, Cardinal Advincula said authentic Christian friendship is characterized by gentleness, perseverance, and cooperation. Rather than imposing faith on others, he said, Christians are called to walk beside them with love.

"Mary reminds us that, in true friendship, love never forces but simply accompanies," he said. "True friends know how to wait, because waiting is also love."

The archbishop encouraged the faithful to accompany those whose enthusiasm for faith may have weakened, trusting that God continues to work patiently in every human heart.

He also reminded participants that the Church's mission is rooted in friendship with Christ.

"Jesus has called us to be His friends, not His slaves," he said. "We are friends who share in His mission."

A Church built on genuine friendship, he added, is one in which no one is left to walk alone.

Rediscovering friendship in a divided world

Now in its twelfth edition, the Philippine Conference on the New Evangelization brings together bishops, priests, religious, and lay faithful to reflect on friendship as an essential expression of Christian discipleship and mission.

Organizers say this year's theme responds to the implementation phase of the Synod on Synodality, which calls the Church to deepen relationships with God, with one another, and with all creation. In a world increasingly marked by polarization and division, the conference seeks to help Catholics rediscover friendship as a path toward communion, accompaniment, and evangelization.